


I'll Keep You

by dexsnursey (nerdy_farm_girl)



Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Flirting, Getting Together, Love It or List It AU, M/M, Mutual Pining, background JT/Josty, house renovations is not a tag but it should be
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-07
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2020-01-01 08:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18332663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdy_farm_girl/pseuds/dexsnursey
Summary: Tyson Barrie is a well respected contractor in the Denver area, specializing in turning problem houses into gorgeous homes. Somehow, he got involed with Gabe Landeskog - suave realtor with unnaturally good looks - and together they star in Keep It or Kick It, battling for the hearts of local homeowners.It's been a few years since this all started, and they're finishing up the season with JT Compher and Tyson Jost. Their house served as a frat house for a couple of years, and now, the boys are looking for something a little more mature. Tyson's challenged to win over JT and Josty, convincing them to stay... and maybe flirt with Gabe a little bit along the way.





	I'll Keep You

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [doublehockeysticks (jamesiee)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jamesiee/pseuds/doublehockeysticks) in the [wesmashing](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/wesmashing) collection. 



> If you found this by googling yourself or your friends, please just click that little x up at the top and save us all the embarrassment :D
> 
> thank you so much to Lotts for beta-ing for me, and also to Em, who not only beta-ed but convinced me to sign up for the challenge in the first place! I honestly would watch hours and hours of this exact show, which would be a lot more fun than trying to write it accurately. I drew a blueprint of what i thought this house should look like and it was a disaster, so... please use your imagination and try not to do any math lol.
> 
> finally, in the words of Gayle Waters-Waters... "In the words of Mark Twain’s wife, Shania Twain, ‘That don’t impress me much.’"

“Does this, you know… do something for you, or...?” Tyson half smirks at the young man bent at the waist in front of him, his hands between Tyson’s shirt and his skin and a rather glazed look in his eyes. The glazed look flickers briefly to a glare, before he backs purposefully away.

“This is like the hundredth time I’ve had to mic you up, Barrie,” Sam grumbles. “I think _you_ enjoy it. Gabe learned how to do it himself.”

Tyson huffs and crosses his arms, looking quickly away from Sam to glare pointedly at Gabe Landeskog, the most obnoxiously gorgeous, extremely annoying, biggest pain in the ass realtor in the greater Denver area. Tyson _despises_ him. He’s always dressed to the nines, incredibly tailored suits and patterned ties that are probably supposed to be whimsical and shiny shoes that Tyson can see his reflection in. His favorite pastime seems to be poking at Tyson’s soft spots – which he has a lot of, thank you, he’s not afraid to admit that he’s sensitive and in touch with his emotional side – and really, after almost three years of working together, Tyson has had enough of it.

Not that they really work together. Because Gabe looks the way he does – like a movie star or a lifeguard on Baywatch – he has connections with other beautiful people in the area. Or at least, that’s how Tyson assumes Gabe knows Lauren. There’s not really any other reason that a realtor would know a local news anchor turned TV producer, so Tyson just assumes there must be some Gorgeous People Club in the Mile-High City where people like Gabe and Lauren can hang out without any average joes like him getting in the way. Anyway. The point is, somehow, Lauren pitched her idea for a TV show where a realtor and a contractor work with a family that is unhappy with their current home. The realtor tries to find them a new home that checks all their boxes, while the contractor remodels their current home within budget, and the home owners have to decide whether to Kick It or Keep It.

Tyson has no clue why Gabe reached out to him about it. His crew had worked on one house that Gabe was in the process of flipping, but it wasn’t like Gabe’s realty firm used Tyson on all their projects or recommended him to new homeowners. Tyson had tried to ask Gabe about it, once, and he’d gotten all cagey and changed the subject, so Tyson just assumed that all the other guys Gabe had called had said no. And like, the extra money and the increased publicity has done wonders for Tyson’s company, but sometimes… sometimes he wishes he hadn’t gotten himself into this whole ordeal.

“Hey Tys!”

Tyson whips his head up so fast he almost gives himself a crick in his neck. It’s just that he knows that happy voice, and he knows the smile that goes with it, and he could very much use a little bit of sunshine right now, thanks.

“Willy!” He waves big, ignoring the way he can see Gabe rolling his eyes in his peripheral vision, instead choosing to focus on the warm, only vaguely bro-ish hug he is receiving from Gabe’s business partner, Colin.

“You gotta come over for dinner soon,” Colin says gently, rubbing his hand across his reddish beard. “We can listen to that album I’ve got on vinyl I was talking to you about, do some grilling?”

Before Tyson can respond, EJ, the head camera operator, starts clapping his hands and yelling, and Gabe glares at Tyson like he is personally responsible for this. Which. Rude.

“Yeah, bro,” Tyson responds to Colin mindlessly, walking sideways towards Gabe’s stupid car. “Text me!”

Gabe’s sitting snottily behind the wheel, his golden hair perfectly coiffed and designer (or like, what Tyson assumes to be designer, he has no clue to be honest) sunglasses balanced on his nose. His seatbelt is already fastened. It’s insufferable, is what it is.

“Didn’t realize you and Willy were so buddy-buddy,” Gabe sniffs, looking straight out the windshield as EJ and Sam climb in the backseat.

“Lauren is meeting us at the house,” EJ says, handing Tyson the print out that has all the details about the homeowners on it. Tyson snatches it from him, refusing to take a break from glaring at the side of Gabe’s face.

“Didn’t realize your head could get any bigger,” Tysons snarls, shaking the paper out like a newspaper even though it’s only like, a single piece of paper. It’s for the aesthetic. “But here we are.”

“Okay….” EJ drawls. “Get your shit together boys, we’re recording in three, two, one.”

Tyson takes a deep breath, trying to focus. It’s just. He hates having to ride shotgun all the time, and he hates having to read off all the little facts on the page, and he hates the way Gabe looks behind the wheel, thick thighs splayed open and big hand curled around the steering wheel. But _apparently_ , stupid Lexus SUVs are more conducive to filming than Tyson’s truck, so naturally, Tyson has to play second fiddle.

“Okay, so today we’re going to the home of JT Compher and Tyson Jost.” Tyson pauses dramatically and glances back and Gabe, waiting for a sarcastic or off-color comment. With none forthcoming, he huffs under his breath and returns to his reading. “They currently live in a… six bedroom, one and a half bath. That’s… okay. Um, so, JT inherited the house from his great-grandmother freshman year of college, and then it became a pseudo-frat house for the next three years. All the other roommates have moved out, leaving JT and Tyson – great name by the way, I approve – alone in a house that… isn’t exactly set up for adults – god, I bet this place is trashed, man.”

Tyson glances over at Gabe, expecting _something_. Their banter is a huge part of the show, after all. Gabe is being uncharacteristically quiet, and while Tyson pretends he doesn’t pay attention to these things, he knows it’ll have an impact on the ratings.

“You’ll be right at home then, huh Brutes?” Gabe drawls after a moment, the curl of his lips bordering on mean as he flicks the turn signal. Tyson scowls. He knows the production team will edit that so there isn’t five seconds of silence, and it will seem natural, easy, not like Gabe spent too long figuring out something rude to say. Any reaction Tyson has will just look dramatic.

“You know how I love my booze and my frat boys,” he says instead, hiding his smile behind the sheet of paper when Gabe visibly startles beside him. “Anyways, the guys are looking to upgrade to something a little more adult. They are willing to spend $400k on a new house – guess those degrees must be working for them – but it must have 4+ bedrooms, 2-3 baths, space for entertaining, an office, and a spacious kitchen. Oh… and an inground pool.” Tyson lowers the paper, and turns to Gabe, pleased to find Gabe actually ready for him this time, his smirk a little friendlier. “ _Why_ ,” Tyson half shouts, waving the paper in the air for dramatic effect. “Does everyone want fu- uh, gosh darn inground pools?! They’re expensive! Your insurance goes through the roof! They’re a ton of work to maintain – unless you’re hiring a pool boy – which, invite me over bro in that case – and then no one uses it enough to make it worth it!”

“Maybe these guys are influencers or something, maybe they throw parties for a living,” Gabe offers, all calm and logical as if he’s not saying this shit to specifically grind Tyson’s gears. It takes him a moment to stop mouthing the word _influencers_ , and finally pull himself together.

“We’re in Colorado, Gabriel!” And yeah, he knows he’s basically squawking at this point, but whatever. He essentially has his own reality TV show for this very reason. “How many pool parties can they throw in the 3 months it’s hot enough to be outside in short sleeves?”

“Why don’t you tell me what they want to fix in their house?” Gabe asks instead of answering, and Tyson feels kind of like a hen that’s gotten all puffed out to twice her size and then all of a sudden the threat just disappears. A little miffed, he tries to smooth down his feathers, settling back into the buttery soft leather seats. Not that he like, enjoys the seats. Or anything like that. Obviously.

“Right.” Tyson clear his throat. “So, with a budget of $150k, they’d want to do something about the bathroom situation, make the kitchen more functional, and make the house a place they feel comfortable entertaining friends and hosting family for weekends and such.” Tutting, Tyson tosses the paper over his shoulder and into the backseat, hopefully right in EJ’s face. “Easy-peasy, I got this one in the bag, baby.”

“You’ve never once had anything in the bag,” Gabe scoffs, his smirk slowly turning into a smile as Tyson shoots what he likes to think is a withering glare in his direction. He’s really struggling to come up with a response, mostly because _I’ll bag you_ is that only thing that seems to be echoing around in his brain, and really, he’s not sure if that’s life appropriate, never mind TV appropriate. Luckily, for once in his life, EJ comes through.

“Cut,” he announces, sighing loudly. “You took to long to shoot back, Tys.”

“Whatever,” Tyson grumbles under his breath, deftly crossing his arms for dramatic effect. Would it be so hard if someone, _anyone_ , was nice to him once and awhile? Well. Other than Colin. Colin is always nice, he’s _too_ nice, actually. So nice that Tyson has a hard time imagining sex with him. And Tyson’s imagined having sex with _everyone_. So. It’s a problem.

Not that sex with Colin is even on the table, or anything. It’s just the principle of the thing, and how he’s never had trouble imagining sex with Gabe.

Which.

He really doesn’t need to be thinking about right now. Fuck.

“We’re here,” Gabe announces, throwing the car into park a little more aggressively than necessary. Based solely on this car ride, it looks like this project is going to be a disaster from start to finish. And while Tyson enjoys _people_ who are hot messes… he doesn’t like to get involved in houses that aren’t going to end well. In a situation like this, though, he really doesn’t have a choice.

Tyson scrambles to release his seatbelt, refusing to look over at Gabe and jumping out of the car. He takes a moment to survey the house in front of him. It’s an old farmhouse, big with wooden siding and lots of nooks and crannies. There’s still plenty of charm though, with a huge wrap around porch and a bright yellow door. On top of that, the potential is amazing – flower beds just begging for attention and windows that would look graceful and airy with gauzy curtains blowing in them.

The front door opens, and Tyson immediately has to bite back a smile, watching as two young men try to walk through the door at the same time, manage to get stuck, and then proceed to bicker quietly with each other. Eventually, the curly haired laughing one walks out first, and Tyson just knows in his bones that this is Tyson Jost. Tyson chaos energy recognizes Tyson chaos energy, or whatever. The second young man follows close behind him, his stern mouth clearly fighting back a fond smile. He’s cute, Tyson decides, with his bright red hair and dark red stubble and his shoulders straining the seams of his shirt. Tyson starts walking towards them, only for Gabe to shoulder past him, his stupid blinding smile on his dumb face.

“Hi guys!” Gabe greets them, holding out his hand and heartily shaking both of theirs. Tyson has to fight to wipe the scowl off his face, and offer his own greetings.

Movement on the porch catches Tyson’s eye, and he squints, focusing on it. There’s another… kid, standing there, a fucking baby blue sweater tied around his shoulders, wearing a slightly too big cream polo shirt tucked into khaki shorts. He looks like how Tyson _wishes_ Gabe would dress, if only so he could call him a douche and make fun of him mercilessly. “Who’s this?” Tyson asks, motioning towards Polo Shirt, who straightens up and walks slowly down the front steps. Other Tyson and JT twist around, both stumbling over their words.

“Uh, that’s-“

“Kerfy.”

“He’s our – er, was our –“

“Alexander Kerfoot, actually.”

“Alexander Kerfoot,” Polo Shirt repeats, holding his hand out. Tyson shakes it, and it’s surprisingly firm, professional, with just a little too much squeezing. “I’m Compher and Jost’s financial advisor.”

“You sound like such a douchebag, Kerf,” JT groans, covering his face with his hand. “Like, why?”

“He’s here to make sure we make adult decisions,” Other Tyson adds, this huge smile on his face like he’s not at all embarrassed to make that statement. In what Tyson is starting to notice is a trend, JT groans again, the flush on his face spreading all the way to his hairline.

“Okay,” Gabe interrupts, in his It’s Time To Pay Attention To The Pretty Man Voice, that Tyson absolutely hates but also has a fucking Pavlovian response to that has him immediately twisting to stare at him, mouth watering like a goddamn Saint Bernard. “Well, the way this works is that Barrie and I will do a walk-through of your house on our own, and then we will meet with you back out here to talk about everything. Sound good?”

Tyson fights to keep his expression neutral and not, like, roll his eyes at Gabe’s vaguely condescending instructions. He tries not to get clients involved in the weird banter he and Gabe have – it usually only ever reflects badly on _him_ , never Gabe. Naturally. “Alright then,” Tyson says, clapping his hands together when the trio nod in unison. “Let’s do this thing, Landeskog.”

* * *

 

“Oh ho ho,” Gabe chuckles as he pushes open the front door, taking his time and blocking Tyson’s path. “You’ve got your work cut out for you on this one, Tys.”

Huffing, Tyson pushes past him, stopping short at the sight before him. It’s. It’s fine, is what it is. Absolutely fine. “Oh, this is _easy_!” He exclaims, flinging his arms out for emphasis. (It is _not_ easy, actually, but Gabe doesn’t need to know that). “All cosmetics. Paint the walls, find some art. Refinish the floors. We’re all good here.”

And that part is true, a little bit. It’s just, clearly this house has been housing practical frat boys for the last few years, and even what Tyson imagines to be their frantic cleaning at midnight last night can’t hide that. But underneath the stale beer and the broken blinds and the fist sized hole in the wall, the living room has potential. The floors look like original hardwood, and just need to be sanded down and refinished, probably with a nice, light stain to really brighten the room. The wall just needs to be patched and repainted, and the furniture rearranged to make better use of the space. Or maybe just start over with brand new furniture.

“Yeah… we’ll see,” Gabe mumbles under his breath, his hands stuffed in his pockets. “There’s uh… a lot of walls? I’m feeling a little trapped.”

“Oh relax,” Tyson huffs, pushing past Gabe and striding towards the nearest door. He can hear Sam following him – EJ undoubtedly trailing Gabe – so he continues on with as much drama as possible. Unfortunately, the next room isn’t exactly, well, anything. “Okay, well…” Tyson trails off, taking in the long table that’s almost too big for the room, it and the chairs surrounding it covered with boxes and just, _stuff_.

“Wow,” Gabe says from the doorway, a wide grin on his face when Tyson glances at him over his shoulder. “I’ve got this in the bag, Tys, this is hopeless.”

“Look,” Tyson snaps back, pushing open another door that leads into what at one time was clearly a quintessential grandmother’s kitchen. It’s clear the guys aren’t using it to their potential, the counters clean and bare and the small table in the corner holding laptops and mail. “I just need to open it up a little, knock down some walls, modernize a little bit, you know.”

“Yeah,” Gabe hums, spinning around in the kitchen, taking it all in. His navy blue pants are like, fucking molded to his ass, and it’s _really_ distracting and making it hard to think about remodeling this fucking house. “But if you have to knock down walls, you’re going to suck up that budget pretty fast, bud. I can just find them a house that already _has_ the perfect kitchen.”

“For some reason, I don’t think those two are as worried about the kitchen as you are,” Tyson shoots back, making his way back out through the weird little dining room and through another door. It puts him into a weird, empty space, that seems to be home to an empty fish tank, what he hopes is an empty keg, and a book shelf that has been stuffed full of shoes.

“I bet you Kerfoot is concerned about the kitchen, resale value baby…” Gabe trails off, bumping into Tyson from behind. “What even is this space?”

“Well…” Tyson squares his shoulders and carries on, peeking through the open doorway in front of him. “ _This_ is the half bath, and the laundry is in here too. And this…” Weaving around the keg and the fish tank, Tyson knocks his knuckles against the far wall. “This is totally just some temporary paneling. I can easily rework this whole floor to make it more functional.”

Gabe just raises his eyebrows, waiting for Tyson to continue. That’s the thing about Gabe. Like, as much of an asshole as he can be, he always, _always_ , lets Tyson speak. It’s a rarity in Tyson’s life – as someone who talks ad nauseum and to the point of embarrassment, most of his friends and family tend to just cut him off and save everyone the future humiliation. Sometimes, he thinks Gabe likes to let him go just to see how horrifying the rambling can get. But other times – like right now – Tyson thinks that maybe, just maybe, Gabe likes to hear his ideas.

Hoping this is one of those cases, Tyson straightens up and weaves back through all the doors out towards the front door, where the last unopened door on the first floor awaits. He can hear Gabe following behind him, and when he glances over his shoulder, Gabe smiles, this soft little rare thing that has Tyson’s cheeks burning. Which is just embarrassing, really. Clearing his throat, Tyson pushes open the door. “Good lord,” he laughs, taking in the full glory of what he will make into the master bedroom. “These guys are really living the bachelor lifestyle. Wow.”

Gabe laughs too when he enters the room, and Tyson takes the opportunity to walk the space. It was probably originally the formal dining room, but he assumes JT had made it into his own bedroom in order to house more guys upstairs. In classic frat boy fashion, the mattress is sitting on the floor and his clothes are stored in mismatched dressers and a couple of plastic totes. Tyson can just see it in his head, repainting the walls a soft green and replacing the cheap blinds with graceful curtains. An actual bed frame and matching dressers and bedside tables will really bring it all together. “I know I keep saying it, but you’ve got your work cut out for you bud.”

Tyson forces a smile. “You know I’ve got magic hands, Gabriel, come on.” Gabe just rolls his eyes when Tyson waggles his eyebrows, turning and stalking off like he doesn’t think Tyson is funny.

The upstairs is crowded, five bedrooms crammed into a space that should probably host three, maybe four. Tyson’s brain whirs, redrawing the blueprints in his head to turn the five bedrooms into three plus an office, and expanding the bathroom. This house really has so much potential, could be beautiful and functional and amazing for two young men to build their lives in. As usual, the budget is going to be tight, and as excited as he is, he knows he won’t be able to do everything he wants to do.

“Gentlemen!” Tyson claps his hands as he and Gabe finally emerge onto the front porch, calling the three young men over into the shade. “Before Gabe sets up times with you guys to view some new houses, let’s talk about this one.”

“I really don’t want to leave,” Other Tyson says quickly, a flush appearing high on his cheekbones. “I love it here, and I really think you can make it work.”

JT looks more than a little surprised, and Tyson has an inkling from his reaction alone that he might actually win this one. “Well,” JT clears his throat, his eyes darting towards Kerfoot who is balancing precariously on the porch railing. “I’m not really up for the fixing up this house, to be honest. It’s old, and it’s set up weird, and… we really didn’t keep up with the maintenance in the early years.”

“Well, that’s what I’m here for,” Tyson smiles gently. “Tell me what you’re worried about fixing. What do you want to see?”

“I don’t… really know?” JT chuckles to himself. “It just doesn’t really feel… like a _home_. I mean. It does. But not like. Not like how my parents house feels, you know?”

“Okay, so this is what I’m thinking. Open up some of these walls downstairs, connect the living room and the kitchen and that small dining room in the back – we’ll have to see what we’re working with in terms of support beams and what we can tear down – but I’ll make the whole living area into a more cohesive space.”

“That sounds awesome,” Other Tyson says, nodding along eagerly.

“Great. Then, we’ll take this first floor bedroom and turn it into a master suite, getting rid of that temporary paneling and putting in a new wall a little farther back. We’ll put in a full bath down there too, so that you don’t have to go upstairs to shower. Then upstairs, we’ll rework it so there’s one big bedroom and a couple smaller ones, maybe make the bathroom a little bit bigger and modernize it. Will you guys be okay with one of you having a slightly smaller room upstairs?”

JT and Josty stare at each other wordlessly, JT’s face turning steadily redder as the seconds tick by. Tyson glances quickly at Gabe, whose eyes widen in commiseration for just a second before his expression smoothes back out. “They’re fine with it,” Kerfoot interjects, hopping off the railing. “Are you sure you can do all this with their budget?”

“I think I can do most of it,” Tyson replies honestly. “I’ll have to plan it all out, and we may have to scale back on some things and prioritize. But I’m confident I can turn this house into a _home_.” He directs the last part at Josty and JT, earning a beaming smile from Josty and a hesitant one from JT.

And that, he can work with.

* * *

 

“We got a problem.”

Nate’s not exactly the most expressive in real life, and for some reason he’s decided to become even more wooden whenever there are cameras around. It really makes Tyson seem excessively dramatic in comparison, which, now that he’s thinking about it, is definitely why Nate does it.

“Have you ever considered greeting me with like, a _‘Hey buddy! How are ya!’_ before jumping right to the bad news?” Tyson grumbles, wiping his feet on the doormat before stepping into the house. They’re two weeks into the project, with Nate leading the construction team on ripping down some walls and getting almost everything down to the studs.

“Maybe,” Nate grunts as he pushes himself to his feet, sawdust and flakes of old paint clinging to his sweaty neck. He looks exceptionally hot today, with his tight black t-shirt with the B&M Renovations logo over his heart, his worn out wranglers molded to his ass and a carpenter’s belt hanging around his hips. Nate doesn’t get as much screen time but he’s almost as popular with the fans as Gabe is. Which is not only annoying but also one of the many reasons that Tyson is doing his damnedest to keep the two of them separated. “Maybe, if you actually included me on your original walkthroughs of these projects, I would discover the problems before we got two weeks in.”

“Details, details,” Tyson waves Nate off, glaring when EJ chuckles behind the camera. “Just show me what the problem is.”

“This is a load bearing wall.” Nate gets right to the point, walking over to the stripped down wall that divides the living room from the kitchen. “We can’t just take it down. Or if we do, we’d have to put a big beam in, and that’ll push us _way_ over budget.”

“Okay,” Tyson sighs, pushing one hand through his hair. “So… what to you think about…” He draws a square in the air with his hands.

“Yeah,” Nate nods. “That would work.”

“Put the counter there-“

“Some stools on both sides.”

“Nate Dogg,” Tyson grins, advancing on him with his arms held out wide. “You just know me bro, like the back of your hand.” Nate just sighs and allows Tyson to hug him, patting him gently on the back. “Now, let me just call the boys and make sure they’re cool with it.”

* * *

 

“Barrie!”

“Back here!” Tyson yells, pressing the last piece of subway tile backsplash into place in the kitchen. Of course, he knew Gabe was coming here; there’s nothing spontaneous about a TV show, and Sam has been filming him for the last three minutes in order to get plenty of footage. Without thinking, he wipes the sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt, and when he drops it, Gabe is standing there.

“Uh…” Gabe swallows hard, uncharacteristically at a loss for words. Tyson shoots him a _look,_ a little annoyed that they had to like, half plan this whole conversation out and now Gabe’s fumbling it. “How’s it going? You gone over budget yet?”

“Listen, Gabriel,” Tyson huffs, hands on his hips. “Don’t you worry about me, and I won’t worry about you.”

Gabe grins, his normal confidence and generally annoying aura returning. “I found them the perfect house, already set up as a duplex, only three houses down from where Kerfoot and his girlfriend live. _And_ it’s only listed for three seventy five.”

“Oh please,” Tyson scoffs. “In the words of Mark Twain’s wife, Shania, that don’t impress me much.”

“Oh my _god_ ,” Gabe laughs, covering his face with his hands. “I can’t deal with you, Tyson.”

“You’re not even supposed to be here Gabriel,” Tyson can’t help but smile a little bit as he attempts to herd Gabe back out towards the front door. “You’re willingly putting yourself into my presence at this point, don’t pretend like you don’t enjoy it.”

“Hey.” One of Gabe’s big hands curls around the front door frame, and he pulls himself back into the house. The cameras aren’t rolling, and Gabe’s so close, close enough that Tyson can see the freckles on his nose and the shadows his eyelashes cast on his cheeks. It’s. Well. It’s a lot, is what it is. “I never said I didn’t enjoy it.” Gabe’s eyes are so, so blue, and when they flick down to Tyson’s lips the bottom of his stomach drops out. “See you around, Tys.”

Tyson manages to hold it together long enough for Gabe to climb into his ridiculous car and back out of the driveway before he turns around and books it to the upstairs bathroom.

“Nate!” he screeches, almost dying because the stairs definitely don’t have their new railings yet and also the hardwood in the hallway upstairs is newly refinished and slippery as fuck. “Nate! I have a problem!”

“Seriously?” Nate sighs, a streak of fresh blue paint on his cheek and a paint roller in his hand. “I thought we were in the clear with this project. What now?”

“Listen.” Tyson collapses into the newly installed tub insert, legs hooked over the edge and his head lolling against the wall. “We might have to stop doing this show.”

“Good,” Nate huffs, returning to the wall he’s painting. “So this isn’t about an actual problem with the house?”

“No,” Tyson sighs, letting his eyes close. “The house is perfect. I love it. This is about Landeskog.”

“Well, you know how I feel about have cameras all over my worksite. The sooner we can stop doing this, the better.”

Tyson forces his eyes open just enough so that he can stare a Nate’s back, his pale blue t-shirt stretched tight across his shoulders and soaked with sweat. “No, Nate, listen to me. I think Landeskog is flirting with me.”

Silence descends over the bathroom, for long enough that Tyson finally has to open his eyes and make sure that Nate didn’t just leave him all alone in the tub. He finds Nate staring at him, the most unimpressed look Tyson’s ever seen on his face.

“What.”

“He’s been flirting with you for the last three years, Tyson,” Nate says, slow, like he thinks Tyson is dumb. “You somehow have only let me meet the man like a handful of times and even I know that.”

“There’s too much blond. I can’t let you two be in the same room. Too much sexy.”

“Okay, whatever.” Nate rolls his eyes. “The point is, you’re an idiot and Landeskog totally has a boner for you. Now get out of my bathroom and go do something productive.”

“Okay, fine.” Tyson huffs, struggling to sit up. “I think… you gotta help me bud, I’m stuck.”

Nate grumbles but he pulls Tyson up with one strong arm. He also smiles a little bit, and Tyson counts that as a win.

* * *

 

The affectionately dubbed Frat House Project has been in the works for almost three months now, and Tyson is exhausted. As usual, he pushed this project out to the last minute, which meant he was here until one in the morning decorating and putting the last minute touches into place. This stupid show just has to make things into a competition, and it gives him anxiety. Normally, his everyday clients don’t have to choose between his work and Gabe’s. Which is just an unfair advantage for Gabe, to be honest.

And now, he stands on the front porch, watching as JT parks his SUV in the driveway and he and Josty climb out. They’re completely in sync when they walk, the backs of their hands brushing on every other step, and Tyson knows then that his executive decision to set the master suite up for two people instead of one was the right choice.

“Welcome home, boys!” He cheers, shaking both of their hands once they climb the steps. “How are you feeling this morning?”

“Great!” Josty grins, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

“Nervous,” JT admits, glaring when Josty laughs and elbows him in the ribs.

“Me too,” Tyson grins at them, hoping his honesty helps lessen JT’s nerves. “Come on, let me give you the tour.”

“Whoa,” Josty whispers as soon as he steps inside, his hand reaching back for JT before he realizes what he’s doing. Tyson steps purposefully in front of EJ’s camera, blocking the shot and ushering JT inside all at once.

“It’s like a whole new house, right?” Tyson gives them a moment to take it all in, the bright and airy living room set up with an enormous sectional and a TV hanging over the fireplace. He’s painted the walls a soft blue and decorated with a bunch of hockey themed art he’d found in a consignment shop.

“This is incredible,” JT murmurs, running his hand over the wall where the hole used to be, his eyes wide with wonder. “I wouldn’t be embarrassed to have my sisters come stay with us anymore, that’s for sure.”

“First, let’s go look at the kitchen.” Tyson herds the two of them in that direction, giving Sam a second to get in there with the camera first to catch their reactions. “So, we refinished the floors, added some more cabinets, and replaced the countertops and appliances. This beautiful backsplash really brings some color and light to the space, while still having a masculine feel.”

“Look at this fridge, Comph!” Josty giggles, opening it and gaping. “We could fit like, so much beer in here, dude.”

JT turns and looks directly into EJ’s camera, the most unimpressed look on his face. “Please edit that out,” he grumbles, sending Josty into another fit of giggles.

“As you’ll remember,” Tyson continues, motioning towards the newly added counter that looks out into the living room. “We ended up not being able to remove this wall completely, so we did this cool little counter here with this long window, giving you visibility for entertaining purposes and also seating on both sides, perfect for casual dining and parties. And then over here…” Tyson guides them towards the dining room. “Now, you can see, all the walls are gone here, right! I refinished your great grandma’s dining room table for you, and now you’ve got plenty of room for when your families come to visit.”

“Is that a bench?” JT asks at the same time that Josty runs over to it, stretching out on it and rubbing his face on the velvet cushion. “Oh my god, Josty, keep it together.”

“It sure is a bench,” Tyson laughs, feeling more and more confident that they’ll decide to stay with each passing moment. “Your half bath and laundry is still right here, but I did add in some more storage options for better organization.

“Do you two even know how to do laundry?”

Tyson can’t help but smile at the sound of that voice, though he manages to replace it with a more appropriate look of mild disdain before turning to glare over his shoulder. “You’re early, Landeskog.”

Gabe has the audacity to actually wink at him, and Tyson just knows that won’t be cut from the footage, not with his luck. “I wanted in on this tour, gotta see what I’m competing with.” Tyson scowls at him and his fucking floral shirt unbuttoned far too low and his tight ass pants and stupidly stylish shoes. Not to mention his shiny golden hair and sparkly blue eyes and perfect smile and... Tyson really does not need this today.

“Alright,” Tyson sniffs, turning pointedly away from him. “Let’s go upstairs and check out the bedrooms.”

Everyone thunders up the stairs. Tyson catches Gabe admiring the new railing but JT and Josty don’t even seem to notice. They’ve got more exciting things to worry about anyways, like the newly expanded second floor bathroom. Tyson shows them the two guest bedrooms and the small office before leading them to the end of the hallway.

“Now, this is the main bedroom on this floor.” Tyson pushes the door open with a flourish. He hadn’t put as much effort as he did in the master downstairs. But even if Josty and JT end up using separate bedrooms, this one will be perfect. “So, we’ve got a large closet, some seating over here in the corner, and then we’ve added this handy door so the bathroom functions as an en suite when you don’t have guests.”

“Wow,” Josty murmurs, spinning around with his arms out. “There’s, like, so much space.”

Tyson looks up and finds Gabe leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed and his pecs half hanging out of his shirt, this soft little smile on his face that kinda melts Tyson from the inside out. Their eyes meet, and Tyson just knows that Gabe’s come to the same conclusion about JT and Josty as he has.

“Alright, we’ve just got the master suite left!” Tyson leads them back downstairs, letting the duo enter the bedroom ahead of him.

“Holy shit,” JT whispers, his hands brushing across the quilt covered in moose and loons folded neatly at the end of the bed. “This is like a grown-up bedroom.” He’s staring at Josty with wide eyes, and Josty looks just amazed with the whole thing.

“So,” Tyson hates to break the moment but he’s trying to bring this thing back into focus. “We really made this feel like a bedroom, we got a bed frame with an actual headboard, sheets and everything on the bed, these curtains that look much better than the blinds you had.” Tyson strides across the room, motioning to the closet door. “Check this out!”

Josty slides open the closet door, his jaw dropping. “Wow, look, clothes actually on hangers!”

“A novelty, I see.” Gabe mutters from where he’s perched on the edge of the bed, looking annoyingly attractive bathed in sunlight.

“Ignore him,” Tyson advises, ushering JT and Josty to the last door. “And this-” he swings open the door, “is your bathroom.”

“Oh my god,” JT straight-up sighs, the awe on his face saying it all. The bathroom did come out great, with two sinks and a soaking tub and a stand-up shower with stone tiles. Tyson kind of wants it in his own house, to be honest, and there’s a large possibility he might be bullying Nate into helping him with it on the weekends.

“I have… a surprise,” Tyson announces after a few moments, grinning at the confused looks on everyone’s faces. “Follow me.” He leads them back out through the living room and into the dining room, stopping in front of the sliding backdoors – currently covered with blinds. “So, we ended up having some extra money in the budget, and me and Nate decided to check one more thing off your wish list… check it out.”

With a flourish, Tyson slides open the door, letting the sunshine stream inside with the unmistakable scent of chlorine.

“No way dude!” Josty shouts, this time actually grabbing JT’s hand and dragging him along. Tyson steps out on the back deck to admire his work one last time. He and Nate had taken advantage of the sloped backyard, installing an above ground pool that they were able to level with the existing deck. Then they’d extended the deck around the pool, setting it up with tiki torches and lounge chairs and a canopy that retracts in and out from the roof of the house.

“You did good, Barrie,” Gabe whispers, his shoulder pressing against Tyson’s. “You know, every time we do this, I think it would be a lot more fun if we were on the same team.”

Tyson just squints up at him for a moment, trying to gage his seriousness. It seems real, so Tyson allows himself to smile. “Maybe we need a new show, or something.”

“Yeah…” Gabe trails off, his eyes so bright and blue as they bore into Tyson’s. “Or something.”

Before Tyson can really process that, JT and Josty come back, finally done with their exploration of the pool and deck. “Okay guys, so, I’m gonna let you catch up with Gabe, and then you’ll have some time to make your decision.” Tyson shakes both JT and Josty’s hands, before wandering back out to the front porch, unsurprised to find Kerfoot already out there, sitting on the front steps.

“Hey man,” Kerfy says, looking slightly more normal today in his sleeveless shirt and board shorts. He’s still extremely pale, but like Tyson has an intense farmer’s tan going, so… stones, glass house, and all that.

“Hey,” Tyson sits down beside him on the front steps. “You here for emotional or professional support?”

“Both.” Kerfy squints into the sun, before pulling his sunglasses down from his head. “I’m not really going to tell them what to do though, they need to make their own decision.”

“I don’t wanna jinx it but… I think they’re gonna stay,” Tyson says, slow, tracing his finger up and down the seam of his jeans.

“Me too,” Kerfy replies, turning slightly so he can lean back against the railing. “There’s a lot… we all went through a lot in this house, good and bad. I think it’d be pretty cool to have them live here forever. I don’t know much about the arts and shit but it feels pretty poetic to me.”

“What’s poetic?”

Tyson jumps at the sound of Gabe’s voice, annoyed that he was able to sneak up on him once again. “Your face,” he shoots back instinctively, cringing when Gabe just laughs.

“Well thank you Tys, that’s awful sweet of you.”

“Fuck you Landeskog.”

“I’m recording, dipshits.” Tyson scowls at EJ, who’s standing in the doorway, his stupid toothless smile just visible behind his camera. “Do your thing.”

“So, what do you think your odds are?” Gabe asks, lowering himself to the front steps between Tyson and Kerfy. “Gimme a percentage.”

“This is unfair and you know it!” Tyson huffs, the argument familiar and something they rehash at the end of every episode. “You’ve seen both houses and their reactions! I’ve only seen this!”

“The new house is move in ready, and only minutes from Alexander here’s place,” Gabe says, apparently ignoring Tyson’s argument.

“I honestly like the distance,,” Kerfy deadpans, his lips only twitching slightly in the corners. “They’ll just be raiding my fridge all the time if they’re that close.”

“A well-stocked fridge within walking distance – another point for me.” Gabe grins at Tyson, with that blinding smile that edges just a little bit on nasty. Normally, it pisses Tyson off, but today there’s something about it that has his stomach twisting in the most pleasant way possible.

“But think about all the love that me, Nate and the crew put into this house,” Tyson says, gesturing towards the house. “Can’t put a price on those intangibles, baby.”

“Hey, speaking of, why don’t you ever have Nate here for this with you? I know he does most of the work.” Gabe has the nerve to laugh at his own joke, and Tyson has the sudden urge to shut him up. With his mouth.

“He’s camera shy,” Tyson sniffs. “I also refuse to have more than two large blond men within one hundred feet of me at any time. And with the Condor over here… that means you and Nate Dogg have to take turns.”

“What – how does that – Tyson, I swear to god, that doesn’t make a lick of – “

“We’ve made a decision!” Josty yells, thankfully interrupting Gabe and saving Tyson from having to explain any further.

“Alright, let’s go Landesnerd,” Tyson huffs, shamelessly waiting until Gabe stands up and then using his arm to haul himself to his feet. “The moment of truth.”

Gabe and Tyson shuffle back into the house, joining JT and Josty at their new kitchen counter. “Okay gentlemen,” Gabe starts, turning slightly to hand it off to Tyson.

“Are you gonna keep it?”

“Or kick it?”

JT and Josty smile at each other, and Tyson’s heart jumps, familiar nerves sending his blood rushing through his veins. They take deep breaths in unison and then say… “Keep it!”

“Whoo!!!” Tyson yells, pumping his fist in the air. “Suck on that Landeskog! How do you like me now!”

“Oh my god,” Gabe rolls his eyes, pushing Tyson to the side with one arm. “Congrats guys, you’ve ended up with a beautiful house.” He shakes their hands, all professional and polished. Tyson huffs and bypasses the handshakes, instead going in for hugs.

“Thank you man,” JT whispers in Tyson’s ear, low enough that the cameras might not even pick it up, and Tyson squeezes him extra hard for it.

Tyson and Gabe pull off their mics, and then they say their goodbyes for real, with Tyson pretending he’s not emotional and Gabe being weirdly nice to everyone. In retrospect, the  Frat House was probably one of Tyson’s favorite projects ever. He loved the way it turned out, loved getting to know JT and Josty, and will never forget the fact that Gabe might have flirted with him right in the doorway he is probably walking out of for the last time.

“Well…” Gabe slows to a stop by the hood of Tyson’s truck, his hands shoved deep in his pockets. Or, as deep as they’ll go considering how tight they are. Which. Is something Tyson is filing for later. “Until next time, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Tyson nods, swallowing down all the _feelings_ welling up inside of him, and instead extending his hand to Gabe. “See ya around.”

They shake hands, and Tyson jumps in his truck, watching Gabe climb into his own car in the mirror. It hits him then, as Gabe backs out of the driveway, that he doesn’t know when he’ll see Gabe again. This house was the last one on the docket for the upcoming season of Keep It or Kick It, and as far as he knows they won’t be starting anything up until next spring. Normally, he’s happy to focus in on his other projects that aren’t part of the show, but right now… he’s not happy at all.

* * *

 

“Hey.”

Tyson’s sweating profusely, and it’s dripping in his eyes, and really, he doesn’t know why he assigned himself the job of re-finishing this chimney. Or. He does know why, actually, it’s because he’s got more experience with masonry and also Nate’s a perfectionist and it would take him twice as long because he’d be obsessing over all the details. Regardless, it’s fucking hot, this job is tedious, and really Tyson doesn’t feel like hearing about whatever problem Nate is bringing to him now. “Sup buddy?” He asks, pulling his t-shirt from where it’s stuffed in his back pocket and wiping his face. Listen. The customers for this house live out of state, so Tyson’s not ashamed to just strip it all down when it gets hot like this. Don’t judge him.

Nate, however, looks like he’s judging him. “Your boyfriend’s here,” Nate grumbles, before turning on his heel and quickly stomping off towards the kitchen. _He_ is still wearing a shirt, because he’s a _professional_ , but he has ripped the sleeves off so, you know, it’s almost worse.

“Which one!?” Tyson yells after him, but Nate ignores him, which leaves Tyson standing there like an idiot in the front entryway when Gabe appears in the open front door. “Oh, hello Gabriel,” Tyson says, as if it isn’t the first time he’s seen Gabe in months. Not to mention the shirtless factor. Or the sweat. All in all, it’s a swell situation.

“Uh, hey, Tys,” Gabe practically stutters, and Tyson can’t help but frown, watching what looks an awful lot like a flush rising high on Gabe’s cheeks. “I was hoping you’d be here.”

“Well…” Gabe is clearly staring at Tyson’s chest, and for a moment, he considers pulling on his sweat soaked t-shirt for protection. “Here I am?”

“Show me what you’re doing.” Gabe demands, which is much more in character and honestly a lot easier to deal with. Like, Tyson knows exactly how to handle Gabe being obnoxious, and it’s by being even more obnoxious and kind of an asshole. It’s the moments where Gabe is soft and vulnerable that really throws him off.

“Right this way, your highness,” Tyson tuts, spinning on his heel and marching back out to the chimney from hell. “Whatever happened to just accept brick as brick?” He says into the empty room, scowling at the chimney. “Now everybody wants _white washed_ brick. Like, come on. What a pain in my ass.”

“Aren’t you the one who comes up with the design concepts for your customers?” Gabe asks, smirk returning to his face.

“Maybe so,” Tyson sniffs. “Don’t point that shit out to me, you know I get enough of that from Nate.” Per usual, Tyson can’t let silence settle for more than a moment, so he continues speaking before Gabe can reply. “So, what brings you and your golden locks here, Gabriel?”

Gabe chuckles, pushing his hand through aforementioned hair, and Tyson rolls his eyes. Like. He gets it, the dude’s gorgeous, let’s move on. “I actually have two questions for you.”

“Hit me,” Tyson shrugs, picking up his brush and slapping some white paint onto the brick. He covers a small area of about ten bricks, before grabbing his rag and wiping most of the paint off, leaving the brick with an almost weathered look.

“Alright,” Gabe’s voice sounds a little bit strangled, but Tyson has no idea what’s the matter with him. “Well, I talked to Lauren and some of the other produces for Keep It Or Kick It, and uh, they really liked my pitch for a show where we worked together, renovating houses. Like, maybe a little mini season or something? We wouldn’t completely get rid of our regular show. Or maybe we would just change the format of a couple episode. I dunno, I’m still thinking about it, but uh, well, I was wondering if you’d be interested.”

Tyson peers at him over his shoulder, surprised to find him biting his lip nervously. It’s… cute, is what it is, and Tyson’s really not all that happy about it. “Well, how’s the saying go? If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em? Is that what you’re doing right now?”

“Well,” Gabe laughs, pulling a six pack of beers out from behind his back. “My second question was to ask you out for a drink. I even brought the drinks to you.”

Tyson stops and stares, taking in the hopeful look on Gabe’s face and the sweating bottles of beer in his hand. In the heat of the summer he looks like a fucking _dream_ , and Tyson might die if this is like, a bro thing. “Are you asking me on a date?”

Gabe’s eyes go wide, and he swallows, his throat bobbing in a way that has Tyson wanting to just… bite. “Um, yes?”

“Then yes!” Tyson grins, hopping off the fireplace and closing the distance between them. “Let’s go pretty boy, date starts now.”

“What – Tyson!” Gabe laughs when Tyson plucks a beer from the pack and stalks off towards the back porch. Tyson grins to himself and keeps walking, a thrill climbing up his spine at the sound of Gabe practically running after him. “I expected you to be a little more flustered about this,” Gabe huffs when he catches up. “Instead you’re all…” He waves his hand at Tyson, like maybe _he_ is the one feeling a little flustered.

“You actually have the hots for me, huh?” Tyson smirks as he twists the top off his beer, taking a long swig. “I thought you’d have better taste.”

Gabe makes this face - his eyes and nose and mouth all scrunched up. “You realize you’re insulting yourself more than you’re insulting me, right?” Tyson just shrugs, trying to act unaffected when Gabe takes another step closer, boxing him in against the porch railing. “And you know you’re hot, stop pretending like you’re not.”

“Well, compared to fucking Nordic gods like you, I’m definitely not like…” Tyson trails off, swallowing hard when Gabe sets down the beer and steps fully into his space, hands settling on his hips. “It’s not a fair comparison, really.”

“Can I kiss you now?” Gabe asks, smile going sideways and teasing. “Or do you have a few more things to say?”

“Actually-”

Gabe kisses him before he can even finish his thought, lips soft like velvet against his own. They kiss until Tyson sighs into it, looping his arms around Gabe’s neck and melting against him. It’s the best first kiss Tyson’s ever had, with Gabe’s hands pressing against his back and his shoulders and his teeth sinking into his bottom lip, hard enough to have his toes curling in his boots.

“Unsurprisingly,” Tyson pants as Gabe presses kisses to his jaw, his ear, his neck. “You’re a fantastic kisser. Do you have to be good at everything? Is that really fair to us mortals?”

“Tyson,” Gabe chuckles, pressing his face to Tyson’s bare shoulder before lifting it and looking deep into Tyson’s eyes. “Just shut up and kiss me.”

For once, Tyson is happy to oblige.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! 
> 
> you can find me on tumblr at [noelacciari](http://noelacciari.tumblr.com). 
> 
> In my original concept notes (which I think are funnier than the fic itself) I described Tyson as a visionary, Gabe as "tight pants", and Nate as exhibiting Typical Virgo Behavior, and I hope I delivered on all of those fronts.


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